"Wei Wuxian...? That's odd... I just saw him a short while ago before..."

He hesitates.

Ah.

Right.

"...I forget, the time discrepancy."

He may not even be the same Wei Wuxian as the one his didi is married to. After all, a single letter changed, as Shen Yuan had said.

Lan Xichen is gradually getting his head around this. It's one thing to read about heavenly realms in texts, it's a whole different matter experiencing sudden, unexpected interdimensional travel in itself.

The conversation moves on, and Lan Xichen grimaces.

I was forced to betray a young man I'd been mentoring.

"It is difficult, when our actions are both our own, and guided by another hand."

He knows that all too well.